1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to utility hooks, and more particularly, to a removable storage hook adapted to fit securely to an overhead garage door track so as to not interfere with the garage door operation.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventional storage fixtures and particularly garage storage devices have long been used to store items on the walls or ceiling of a garage. The storage space is often at a premium. Many garages have been equipped with extensive shelving to store items off the garage floor, but large bulky items have presented additional problems. Storing a bicycle or ladder on a wall often covers a large percentage of the available wall area. Large items, such as bicycles and ladders, have often been left on the garage floor. Additionally, specialized fixtures are used to hold the bulky items on the garage ceiling or wall. Installation of the specialized devices has required some skill and are most often attached inconveniently or in a complex manner to the ceiling or wall by nails, bolts, or screws. Consequently, many storage devices have been developed to more effectively and efficiently use available storage space. Oftentimes, these devices position bulky items in hard to reach places, making it awkward to position or remove the stored items on the storage devices.
Although there are no known prior art teachings of a device such as that disclosed herein, prior art references that discuss subject matter that bears some relation to matters discussed herein are U.S. Pat. No. 5,078,276 to Rogge et al. (Rogge), U.S. Pat. No. 3,782,559 to Wright (Wright), U.S. Pat. No. 6,439,405 to Henneken (Henneken), U.S. Pat. No. 6,224,030 Hepworth (Hepworth), U.S. Pat. No. 6,575,416 to Avinger (Avinger), and U.S. Pat. No. 3,978,988 to Friedeberg (Friedeberg). These patents discuss storage devices.
Rogge discloses a bicycle storage device that includes a bracket assembly that may be bolted or screwed to a ceiling or wall. The bracket has an arm that rotates between an operational position to a support a bicycle or rotates to a storage position. Rogge discloses a device which must be inconveniently anchored to a wall or a ceiling most often by bolts or screws. When the Rogge bicycle rack is mounted to a garage wall, a large portion of the available wall area is used exclusively for bicycle storage. In addition when the Rogge fixture is mounted to the ceiling, the bicycle support arms are at an inconvenient height. Rogge does not teach nor suggest a storage device which is easily attachable to a garage door track.
A more accessible height for a bicycle storage device is disclosed by Wright. The Wright ceiling cycle rack includes a plate removably extending from the ceiling. The plate is anchored to the ceiling by a plurality of hooks or the like. A pair of J-shaped hangers that engage a bicycle frame are also attached to the plate. The J-shaped hangers are laterally adjustable to hang various models of bicycles at selectable heights. The Wright fixture preserves valuable wall space, but suffers from the disadvantage of requiring properly spaced anchors in the ceiling. Wright does not teach nor suggest a utility hook which is attachable to a garage door track.
Henneken discloses a storage device fully suspended from the ceiling that holds different shapes/types of elongated objects. Henneken discloses the use of at least two brackets anchored to the ceiling and spaced appropriately to hold the desired items. The brackets may include different pockets of storage space that may be used for holding/storing elongated items of different shapes or cross-sectional configurations. The Henneken device is inconveniently anchored close to the ceiling and is immobile. Henneken does not teach nor suggest a device which is easily attachable to a garage door track.
Hepworth discloses a hook/hanger for use at the top of a door. The Hepworth device has a hook extending downward at the front with an upper portion bent at a right angle. The right angle has barbs intended to be driven into the top of the door. The Hepworth apparatus preserves wall space, but is permanently mounted to the door and is ill-suited for hanging large items. Hepworth does not teach nor suggest a utility hook which is attachable to a garage door track.
Avinger merely disclosed an improved version of an over-the-door hook. Avinger teaches a mechanism to adjust the height of the desired hanging item and a mechanism to hang the hook over the top of the door so that the hook is not permanently attached to the door. Similar to the Hepworth device, the Avinger apparatus preserves wall space, but is also ill-suited for hanging large items. Avinger does not teach nor suggest a storage device which is easily attachable to a garage door track.
Friedeberg discloses a pair of braced clothesline holders that are suspended temporarily or permanently from the tracks of any standard overhead door by flat hooks that fit snugly down over the tracks so as not to interfere with the operation of the garage door. Friedeberg requires that the flat hooks open downwardly and have a long leg and a short leg. The long straight leg is secured to a beam and the short leg is adapted to hook over the garage door track. Two flat hooks are required on each of two opposing beams and a brace holds the flat hooks in engagement with the garage door track. A clothesline is strung between the opposing beams. Friedeberg does not teach nor suggest additional uses of the space around the garage door track, such as storing bulky items. Friedeberg does not teach nor suggest using a simple unbraced fixture over the garage door track that uses a lip hooking over the flange on the top of the garage door track to position the fixture against the track. Friedeberg merely discloses a clothesline which attaches to parallel tracks of a garage door.
Accordingly, it has been found that a need exists for a simple, cost effective, and efficient way of storing large or bulky items in a garage. A device and method are needed to store items such as ladders, bicycles, and fishing poles off the garage floor and yet preserves wall space for the storage of other items. A device is needed that requires minimal skills for installation and is easily adjustable. It is an object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus.